Columns

Forty-five years ago, the night of Feb. 27, 1968, East Las Vegas Mayor Ben Lingnau and West Las Vegas Mayor Fidel “Chief” Gonzales, symbolically buried the hatchet which had divided the twin cities for almost a century. Joined by a crowd of hundreds, the two mayors stood at the very center of the bridge which separated East from West, as they celebrated the successful referendum of that momentous day, merging Old Town and New Town, and establishing one unified Las Vegas.

Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette on organ donors (June 24) — About one-third of Americans are registered to be organ donors after death, federal health agencies say — but there’s always a shortage of available organs. There’s an urgent need for more ... folks to join the potential donor rolls.
The Department of Health and Human Services says more than 100,000 sick Americans are on waiting lists, each desperately hoping that an organ will become available for them. ...

“You’re far too critical. It’s still affluent water, no matter how you spell it,” my wife, Bonnie said, as we went for the fifth trip to haul effluent water from the city plant on 12th Street.

And if this seems like a commercial, well it is. We’re pleased with the service by those people who provide recycled water to legions of pickup-driving residents trying to save their lawns, bushes and trees.

Many readers of the Optic are aware that the acequias (irrigation ditches) in the Gallinas River Basin are involved in a legal struggle over water with the city of Las Vegas. It is a struggle that has been going on for more than 50 years.

Believe it or not, despite the widespread fascination in recent years with all things Las Vegas, there is not an abundance of written history about our town. If not for Milton W. Callon, Lynn I. Perrigo and Maurilio E. Vigil, the story of the twin cities along the Gallinas might be nothing more than a passing narrative or isolated footnote in the chronicles of New Mexico history.

Editor’s note: This is the ninth in a series of columns addressing issues associated with oil and gas development in San Miguel County. The columns were written by participants in PROTECT San Miguel county, a local all-volunteer grass-roots organization. The group has been working with the county’s oil and gas task force for three years, has toured several existing oil and gas producing facilities, and has been collecting extensive research on the issues. More information is at http://PROTECTsmc.org.

Do men give other men friendly butt pats? Of course they do, especially when on the field. Somehow, the baseball field seems to be the most popular butt-patting venue, but you see it on and in football fields, basketball courts and baseball stadiums, whether in or out.